Spider for lawn mower reels



March 20, 1951 R, s, KNKEAD 2,545,520v

SPIDER FOR LAWN MOWER REELS Filed Jan. 12, 1949 2o F|G..| v 47 -L 2Patented Mar. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlCE .SPIDER FR LWN MOWERRELS Robert s. Kinkeaa, st. Paul, Minn. Application January 12 1949,Serial No. 70.412

- 3 Claims.

My invention relates to lawn mowers and particularly tothe cutting reelthereof.

A-n object of the invention resides in providing the reel with a spiderhaving great strength and rigidity.

Another object of the invention resides in providing ia 'spiderconstructed entirely of sheet metal.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing the spiderwith a body having lugs bent outwardly therefrom and to which thecutting blades of the reel are attached and to further vprovidereinforcing means integral with the body and lugs for stilfening .thespider and for reinforcing the lugs.

An object of the invention resides in providing the spider with flangesintegral with the body and lugs and extending angularly with referenceto the lugs. Y

Other objects `of the invention reside inthe novel combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterillustrated and/or described.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the reel of a lawn mower illustrating anembodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the reel taken on line 2-2 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is an elevational sectional View taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a developed view of the blank from which the spider shown inFig. 2 is constructed.

In the construction of reel spiders the common practice has been to usemetal castings. Castings are never accurate and considerable variationexists between different cast spiders. In addition appreciable machiningis required when using castings thus materially increasing the cost ofthe reel. Castings as a rule to be made sufficiently strong must befairly heavy and when so constructed add to the weight of the mower thusproducing a heavy running mower. Attempts have been made to use stampedspiders but such spiders have been weak and would readily yield or bendso that adjustment of the cutting blades relative to the bed knife couldnever be maintained. The instant invention provides a constructionwhereby lightness, strength and rigidity may be procured without thedisadvantages of the forms of spiders heretofore employed.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in Fig. 1 alawn mower reel I0 comprising a shaft II. On the shaft II is mounted anumber of spiders I2, I3, I4 and I5 which supprojections.

2 port the usual cutting blades I6, I 'I, I8, I9 and 20. These bladesare preferably twisted in the form of helix and function toprogressively engage 'the bed knife and to-cut the grass in thecustomary manner.

All of the spiders I2, I3, I4 and I5 being identical in constructiononly the spider I5 Vwhich is shown in detail in Figs. 2 Aand 3 will bedescribed. The spider I5 consists of :a body 22 in the form of apentagon having a central hole 23 in the same. At the marginal-portionof the body 22 are provided ve notches 29 which form in the body 22toothed projections 5I having substantially radial edge portions 54 andwhich notches further `form in said body spiraling edge portions 52which spiral outwardly from the inner ends of the radial edge portions54 of said Said spider further comprises lugs 24 which are bentoutwardly from said body. These lugs have faces 25 which aresubstantially radial and which extend helically to conform to the leadof the blades IE, I1, I8, I9 and 20.

`The said lugs :further have radial edge portions 53 which are integralwith the edge portions 54 of the projections 5I of the body 22 and inaddtion have longitudinally extending edge portions 2 projectingoutwardly from the body 22. Extending angularly from the lugs 24 areflanges 28 which have longitudinally extending edge portions 55 andcircumferentially extending edge portions 56 which are respectivelyintegral with f the longitudinal edge portions 21 of lugs 24 and thespiraling edge portions 52 of the body 22. These flanges lie incontinuation of the lugs 24 and form in conjunction therewith thenotches 29 which face outwardly. The lugs 24 have holes 3| in them andby means of which the blades of the reel may be attached to the spiders.

In the construction of the spider a blank 39 is employed such as shownin Fig. 4 and which is fabricated from sheet metal of sufcient thicknessto give the desired rigidity to the spider. This blank has a centralportion 4I from which the body 22 of the spider is formed and lobes 42extending circumferentially about the same and from which the lugs 24and flanges 28 are formed. The central portion 4I has the hole 23 formedin it and in addition other holes 43 which lighten the spider withoutmaterially reducing the strength of the same. The blank in being stampedis bent along lines 44, 45 and 46 at each of the lobes 42 to form thelugs 24 and the flanges 28. The holes 3| may be formed in the blank 39prior to stamping or if greater accuracy is de- Sired after theformation of the lugs.

In the assembly of the parts the spiders are mounted on the shaft l iand the blades I6, I1, I8, I9 and 20 attached to the same. This isaccom- Iplished by placing the blades in the notches 29 and against thesurfaces 25 of the lugs 24. Rivets 41 are then inserted through theholes 3! in said lugs and through similar holes, not shown, in the saidblades and upset. The spiders may then be secured to the shaft ll by anysuitable means as for example by welding as indicated at 48. The entireassembly then becomes a unitary structure having great strength andrigidity.

The advantages of my invention are manifest. The spider can beconstructed from sheet metal and at an extremely low cost as compared tocast spiders. The spider when constructed as disclosed is extremelylight in weight and rigid in construction thereby preventing chatteringin use and maintaining adjustment. The flanges issuing from the lugsreinforce said lugs and at the same time greatly stiften the entirespider.-

Changes in the specic form of my invention, as herein described, may bemade within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. A spider for lawn mower reels constructed from sheet metal and havinga plate like body symmetrical about a central axis, plate like lugsextending outwardly from said body at the outermost portion thereof andhaving faces disposed in substantially radial positions and to which theblades of the reel may be attached, said lugs each having a radial edgeportion and an inner longi- 'tudinally extending edge portion, said lugsalong the radial edge portion being integral with said body, and aflange integral with said body and having a longitudinally extendingedge portion integral with the inner longitudinally extending edgeportion of the lug.

2. A spider for lawn mower reels constructed from sheet metal and havinga plate like body symmetrical about a central axis, said body havingcircumferentially spaced angular notches forming toothed projectionstherebetween, said notches forming edge portions at said projectionssubstantially radial and edge portions at the outermost portion of thebody spiralling outwardly from the inner ends of the radial edgeportions of said projections, lugs extending outwardly from saidprojections and having substantially radial edge portions integral withthe radial edge portions of said projections, and flanges extendingoutwardly from said body, said anges having edgerportions integral withthe edge portions of said body and other edge portions integral with theinner longitudinally extending edge portions of said projections.

3. A spider for lawn mower reels constructed from sheet metal and havinga plate like body symmetrical about a central axis, said body havingcircumferentially spaced angular notches forming in said body angularlydisposed edge portions, lugs extending outwardly from said body atcertain of the edge portions of said body and integral therewith, andanges extending outwardly from the other edge portions of said body andintegral therewith, said flanges being integral with said lugs.

ROBERT S. KINKEAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,043,098 Funk June 2, 19362,251,905 Davis et al Aug. 12, 1941 2,460,111 Worthington Jan. 25, 19492,495,372 Goldberg Jan. 24, 1950

